The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expanded the men’s central contracts list to include five more players, increasing the total number of contracted players to 30. These contracts are part of the three-year deal announced last month, which will be in effect from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026.
The initial list of 25 players was decided by the management committee led by Najam Sethi. However, under the new management committee headed by Chairman Zaka Ashraf, a review led to the inclusion of five more players in the central contracts list. These additions are: Abrar Ahmed (Category C), Noman Ali (Category C), Tayyab Tahir (Category D), Aamir Jamal (Category D), and Arshad Iqbal (Category D).
Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, initially placed in Category D, has been promoted to Category B. His consistent performance and role as Pakistan’s primary wicket-keeper batter in Test cricket played a key role in this promotion. In the past year, he has scored 367 runs in four matches at an average of 61.16 and was named Player of the Series for his remarkable performance against New Zealand.
Category C includes Abrar and Noman, who have been regular members of Pakistan’s Test team. Mystery spinner Abrar has taken 38 wickets in six matches since his debut against England in Multan, while left-arm spinner Noman has claimed 17 wickets in four games over the last year.
Aamir (4 T20Is), Arshad (3 T20Is), and Tayyab (3 T20Is) have been placed in Category D and continue to be part of the national men’s selection committee’s plans.
Here’s the updated list of players with their respective categories for central contracts:
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shadab Khan
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, and Noman Ali
Category D: Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan
These central contracts offer increased monthly retainers, with a share of the ICC revenue integrated into the overall monthly remuneration. While the financial model for the three-year tenure is fixed, a review of the list of players will be conducted after 12 months. The previous central contract cycle expired on 30 June, and the new agreement became effective on 1 July 2023.
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